«Temporary Office» – a performance where a woman is no longer a shadow

What is it like to go to school in the afternoon shift? You get to sleep in, your mornings are free, and no one rushes you. But the day begins in twilight and ends in it too. You come home with the feeling that the day slipped past you. And the fatigue is not physical – it settles in the heart, like smoke. That’s what it feels like when life follows someone else’s schedule.

A similar feeling is familiar to almost every woman. Only her second shift isn’t in school – it starts after work. When the laptop closes, the pot opens. When meetings end, homework begins. When care is not a choice but a duty. And most of all — when it all goes unnoticed.

According to the UN, women spend two and a half times more hours on unpaid domestic labor than men. In our part of the world – in the context of kelin (daughter-in-law traditions), mahalla (community structures), and multigenerational households — this number gains a particular weight.

This is what the performance “Temporary Office,” held on March 15 at the 139 Documentary Center in Tashkent, seemed to speak to. It didn’t shout with slogans but spoke in gestures. Not through theory, but through touch. It was an experience where every one of us could hear herself – in a way she may have never dared before. 

 Where art ends – and life begins

Created in collaboration between artist Hyeryung Lee and curator Malika Zayniddinova, the performance invited the viewer not just to observe but to participate. The fictional “Asian Housekeeping and Care Work” – where each visitor became a “member” transformed the gallery into a care office. And the audience themselves into its staff.

No makeup, no costumes, no dramatic monologues. Just action. Just you, the spoon that needs washing, the doll that needs to be put to bed, the laundry that needs folding.

You do it. Almost without resistance. But then suddenly you feel tired. Though it was all “nothing,” right? And that’s the turning point. Because you realize: that women’s labor is invisible precisely because it’s been treated as nothing. 

 When a woman pauses – the world stops

At the heart of the performance was a room resembling an office. But without the bustle, coffee, or printers. Instead, there was something else: attention.

This space echoed Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” – only adapted to our reality, where a woman often has neither a room nor even a quiet corner. The creators offered just that. A space where care ceases to be a function and becomes a language. Where you can sense how exhaustion smells. Where you can look into another woman’s eyes and see yourself.

Before the performance, there was another key element: a workshop with women participants, who brought personal items and shared stories, gestures, and rituals. 

These memories, seemingly mundane, were woven into the structure of the performance, into its fabric. And they made it alive. It wasn’t abstraction – it was reality, simply seen from a new perspective.

“Temporary Office” speaks without confrontation. Without offense. It shows that care is labor. Labor deserves respect. It gives women the right to be tired. The right to their own space. The right to be recognized. 

The women behind a new dialogue

Hyeryung Lee – an artist from Seoul working in Tashkent, is known for her site-specific projects. She doesn’t just create installations but immersive experiences where space becomes a conversation partner. Her works often focus on the unheard: elderly women, migrant workers, domestic laborers.

Malika Zayniddinova – a curator, art manager, and inspiring figure in Uzbekistan’s cultural scene, has led projects at the Venice Biennale, international exhibitions, and festivals, uniting contexts and voices. Most importantly, she creates conditions for growth.

Their joint performance is not a protest. It’s a recognition. Quiet, tender – and all the more powerful for it.

“Temporary Office” is not about resistance. It’s about love. And about how love can be honest. 

The performance is supported by Arts Council Korea and is a collaboration between Generalkunst and Qizlar Collective.

Photo courtesy of the project organizers.